Israel-Hamas warfare: What’s the Rafah border crossing and who controls it? | World Information

On the southern tip of Gaza on the border with Egypt is the dusty and chaotic Rafah border crossing.

Egypt is shortly anticipated to open it for just a few hours for international nationals and Gazans who maintain twin nationality.

It’s going to imply an escape from the warfare for a restricted variety of Palestinians. However most of Gaza’s 2.3 million individuals will stay trapped contained in the war-ravaged enclave.

Rafah is Gaza’s solely gateway to the remainder of the world that is in a roundabout way managed by Israel.

It’s underneath the management of Egypt as a part of an settlement with Israel and the European Union.

Nonetheless, it has by no means been a traditional, totally open border crossing.

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Through the years it has been closed for days, weeks and months at a time. When it does open it is typically intermittent and may abruptly shut once more.

The individuals of Gaza by no means know when it is going to open or for the way lengthy, so it is inconceivable for them to plan their lives.

In case you are caught exterior Gaza when Rafah closes, there isn’t a probability to get again in once more.

Even underneath the most effective of circumstances, the crossing is unreliable and unstable.

What at all times struck when reporting from Rafah was the sheer despair and desperation of Gazans ready to journey.

When it was open the crossing could be filled with individuals, typically hundreds, all uncertain if they might truly make it.

Ladies would sit for hours on suitcases, kids enjoying within the filth, a cacophony of taxis, vehicles and donkey carts all jostling for area.

And in the midst of it all of the reunions and farewells of households who did not know once they’d see one another once more. By no means positive when the border could be open or closed.

Learn extra:
The deep roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
In pictures: How the Israel-Hamas war has escalated

Egypt tightly controls the Rafah crossing and Palestinians accuse it of being complicit within the siege on Gaza by refusing to maintain the border completely open 24 hours a day.

There isn’t any incentive for Egypt to now open this crossing and permit tons of of hundreds of Gazans to flee from the warfare.

If it did, the individuals of Gaza would grow to be Egypt’s drawback and that is the very last thing Cairo desires.